The Well, a play in one act, will be performed by an Iranian troupe at the International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFoK) 2019, this January. The Well, written by Alireza Tavana and directed by Abbas Abolhasani, was first performed in the city of Babol, Iran, last year. But this January it is going on stage in English, in the city of Thrissur, India.

The Well

“The Well” is a play in one act. It starts with Khalil and Maryam (an Iranian couple) sitting in a small backyard in the middle of nowhere. They begin reviewing their lives and past experiences. Surprisingly we soon learn that they are both dead, and the yard where they are in and their talks are all but imaginary. It is through their rumination of the past that we learn Khalil and Maryam were/are two passionate lovers who found each other and fell in love with each other through arts and theater.

Passionate lovers Khalil & Maryam are, but their lives were not all sweet & smooth. In fact, they had to endure so much pain & hardship due to their political activism. So much pain that pushed them to the edges of the well where they ended their own lives…

The Well in Iran

Mr. Abolhasani initially took The Well to the stage in the city of Babol in Mazandaran in both Persian and English at the same time last year. He used the same cast to perform in both languages. They would first perform the English version, and then later in the very day, they would perform in Persian. To the best of our knowledge, this has never been done in the province of Mazandaran or the country as a whole.

The translation from Persian to English was done by Sina Ghasemi (Sinarium). Both versions of the play were published in a single volume as the play was premiered in Babol.

The Well in India

The Well is officially selected to participate at the International Theatre Festival Kerala (ITFoK 2019). It is the 11th edition of this festival, and 13 groups from 6 different countries are selected to participate. Besides Abolhasani Art Group, there is one more theatre group from Iran participating at ITFOK, but The Well is the only show from the province Mazandaran to attend this festival.

Abolhasani Art Group is going to take the English version of the play to the city of Thrissur in the state of Kerala of India on January 19. The group going to perform 3 times on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of January.

The Names and Positions of Cast & Crew

Director: Abbas Abolhasani

Playwright: Alireza Tavana

Actors: Afsoon Namdari / Ahoura Gol-Amou-Pour

Assistant Director: Sepide Zeynolabedini

Translator and Coordinator: Sina Ghasemi

Lighting Designer: Farshid Mosadegh

Music Designer: Houman Yousefnejad

Costume Designer: Sepide Zeynolabedini

Makeup Designer: Maede Mohammadian

Posters and Brochures Illustrator: Atta Rouhbakhsh

Photography and Videography: Reza Charmzadeh

About Abolhasani Art Group

Abolhasani Art Group is in association with Abolhasani Performing Arts Academy based in Iran founded by Mr. Abbas Abolhasani in 2007. So far, they have performed 14 full length plays directed by Abbas Abolhasani at different theater halls all over Iran. Some of the recent performances are The Well, The Tale of Mahan’s Death, Messiah, The Stone (all written by Alireza Tavana); as well as, Les Morts sans Sepultures (written by Jean-Paul Sartre), and Antigone (written by Sophocles). Most of these performances won provincial and national awards and were praised by viewers and critics.

About Abbas Abolhasani

Abbas Abolhasani is a graduate of theater major, acting concentration. He has a successful experience in acting (both on stage and in front of the camera), play direction, refereeing at festivals, radio and TV hosting, and official responsibilities. He has directed 14 full-length plays so far. He has won 14 awards at 8 different provincial and national arts festivals for different works of arts he has produced or appeared in throughout his career. He is still working passionately as an actor trainer in his theater academy in the city of Babol in Iran, as well as making even more works of art.

About Alireza Tavana

Alireza Tavana is a post-graduate of dramatic literature. He has written 10 full-length plays, all of which have been staged in different cities of Iran by different directors. Some of these plays have won provincial and national awards. He is also active in the cinema as a screenwriter and director. He has directed 3 feature films so far (all written by himself). One of these films, titled “Zeinab,” won the award of the best picture at 27th Fadjr festival, and nominated for the best direction. He is still active as a playwright as well as creative writing and film directing tutor.